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Traveling onBudget? Try These Money-Saving Vacation Ideas |
by:
Jerry Windley-Daoust |
If your spirit of adventure is larger than your travel budget, these money-saving tips might just put your next vacation within reach.
one. Swap homes with other vacationers
If you prefer to mingle withlocals rather than other tourists, look intohome exchange vacation. One couple spent their eight-week honeymoon touring Europe without ever staying inhotel; instead, they stayed in private homes while their European hosts stayed in their New York City apartment. Sound risky? Maybe—but tens of thousands of people have exchanged homes sinceoneninefivezeros. Forannual membership fee (usually around $fivezero), home exchange clubs help members arrange exchanges, as well as offering tips to makeexchange go smoothly. According to ExchangeHomes.com,home exchange can cut travel costs by as much as half. More importantly, though,home exchange vacation makes it possible for you to live likelocals, and perhaps make some life-long friends.
two. Rely onhospitality of others
Inslight twist onhome exchange idea, look into joininghospitality club that will hook you up with people willing to host you on your next vacation. The largest hospitality club has more than twothree,zerozerozero members in onefoureight countries. Membership is usually free, although members are asked to provide hospitality to others (onvoluntary basis) in return sometime infuture. In addition to saving money, staying with others isgreat way to meet locals who can giveinsider’s perspective on your destination.
three. Stay inmonastery or convent
Monasteries and convents havelong tradition of providing hospitality to travelers. Aside from beinglot more interesting (and affordable) thanlocal Holiday Inn,monastery can begreat place to explore your spiritual landscape. Many monasteries and convents ask fordonation of $fourzero to $eightzero per night; others only ask forfree-will offering. In addition to simple accommodations, monasteries and convents often offer their guests simple meals as well as opportunities to participate in daily prayer and work. Reservations may be required in advance. You can research this vacation idea by looking up individual monasteries or convents online. Or getguidebook such as “Europe's Monastery and Convent Guesthouses: A Pilgrim's Travel Guide” or “Sanctuaries: The Complete United States: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys, and Retreats.”
four. Winfree vacation
Nothing in life is free,old adage goes, butvacations many companies are giving away as part of promotional sweepstakes and contests come close. True,odds of winningfree vacation are remote, but if you’ve ever playedlottery, you may as well spendfew minutes searchingweb for “vacation contest” and related terms. The only cost of entering will probably betime it takes to fill out online entry forms. (Be forewarned, though, that providing your e-mail address virtually guarantees unsolicited e-mail infuture.)
five. Sleep understars
Hoping to vacation in Hawaii orU.S. Virgin Islands? Rather than spendingfortune on hotels or resorts, why not slashcost of your accommodations by camping onbeach? Both destinations have parks that offer beachside camping for about $twozero per night. Camping isaffordable alternative at virtually any destination, in fact. And camping doesn’t necessarily mean “roughing it.” Modern camping equipment can keep you as warm and comfortable as if you were sleeping at home (decent sleeping bags and sleeping pads aremust), and many campgrounds offer conveniences such as showers and running water. Some even rent basic but comfortable cabins.
six. Travel inoff season
It may be obvious to seasoned travelers, but those with less experience may not be aware of how affordable it can be to vacation in“off season”—basically, any time other than when most people travel to your destination. Certain destinations’ accommodation and airfare prices may be slashed by threezero percent or more duringoff-season compared topeak travel season.
seven. Consider your airline alternatives
When booking airfare online, don’t overlook discount and international airlines—some are not listed onbig travel portal websites, even though they might havelower fare to your destination. Also be sure to compare rates for alternate airports withinreasonable traveling distance. You might live halfhour frommajor airport, butsmaller airportcouple hours away might have substantially lower fares. Check for alternate airports near your destination, too. Finally, be flexible about your arrival and departure dates;major travel portals all have options to search forcheapest flights withinrange of dates. Any one of these alternatives could potentially save you hundreds of dollars.
AboutAuthor
Jerry Windley-Daoust profiles cheap honeymoon ideas at Creative Honeymoon Ideas,website featuring off-the-beaten-track honeymoon ideas. |
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